Cruz, Perry chose their words carefully on Nugent flap

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is waxing circumspect about conservative rocker Ted Nugent, telling CNN Thursday that while he doesn’t agree with the musician’s “subhuman mongrel” slam on President Obama, he finds it “a little curious to be questioning political folks about rock stars.”
The Texas Republican added that while he wouldn’t have used Nugent’s words, “I will note there’s a reason, Ted Nugent, people listen to him, which is that he’s been fighting passionately for Second Amendment rights.”
Cruz said he would not answer a “hypothetical” question about whether he would campaign with Nugent. Democrats have been pillorying Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, the GOP candidate for governor, for doing just that.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has appeared on stage with Nugent, followed Cruz on CNN, telling host Wolf Blitzer that Nugent’s comments were “pretty tough words.”
But Perry too declined to say whether or not it was appropriate for Abbott to campaign with Nugent. Perry dismissed the Nugent dustup as a one- or two-day story, suggesting that the real issue for Texans should be the “very liberal record” of state Sen. Wendy Davis, the Democratic contender in the governor’s race.
As for Nugent, Perry said, “the idea that Ted Nugent has said something outrageous shouldn’t surprise anybody. He’s been saying outrageous things for a lot of years.”